Lubbock ISD was among 600 districts in state to enter into lawsuit

Three area school districts praised a state judge’s ruling that school funding from the state is inadequate, but they also all believe the battle is not over.

Frenship Independent School District, Lubbock ISD and Lubbock-Cooper ISD all expressed support for the ruling.

In a statement from LISD, Nancy Sharp, executive director of communications and community relations, said the district was one of 600 across Texas that entered into the lawsuit against the state of Texas.

“We joined the Texas Taxpayer and Student Fairness Coalition lawsuit because we believe the school finance system in Texas is inadequate and unconstitutional. We anticipated Judge (John) Dietz would rule in favor of Texas schoolchildren, and we are pleased that the court issued that ruling today,” Sharp said.

Jason Gossett, the chief financial officer at Frenship ISD, said from Frenship’s perspective, the ruling is good because FISD is paid a lower amount per student.

“It’s good that it’s showing that there’s inequity,” Gossett said.

In a statement from Lubbock-Cooper, Superintendent Keith Bryant said he agrees with the ruling that school funding has been inadequate and inequitable.

“There has long been an expectation in Texas for public schools to perform well, and in recent years, the bar has been continuously raised on the state’s measurement of their effectiveness. This demand for higher performance has corresponded with a decrease in funding. There is no business that is expected to successfully operate this way,” Bryant said.

Lubbock-Cooper took measures as a district to reduce the impact of state funding cuts, he said, but “the lack of support for public education from the state level was palpable.”

The three school officials agreed the fight is not over.

“This case is far from over,” Sharp said.

LISD officials believe the pressure of the lawsuit was a factor in the Legislature restoring some school funding last session, and Sharp said LISD will continue to work with legislators to create more equity in the school finance system.

Bryant described Lubbock-Cooper as “eager to work alongside legislators” to formulate solutions to state budget issues faced by districts throughout the state.

“We also know that the judge’s ruling is just one step. It’s up to the Texas Legislature to fix the system, if they so choose,” Gossett said.

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